Indonesia school collapse: Rescuers race to save trapped students
Indonesia,: Rescuers supplied oxygen and water to students trapped beneath the rubble of a collapsed school building in East Java, Indonesia, as efforts to pull out survivors continued Tuesday morning, more than 12 hours after the disaster.
At least one student was confirmed dead, nearly 100 were injured, and 65 remained missing after the Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in Sidoarjo caved in on Monday during afternoon prayers.
Rescue teams of police, soldiers, and volunteers worked through the night, managing to free eight injured survivors hours after the collapse. Officials warned that the death toll could rise, as bodies had been sighted under the wreckage.
Families gathered at hospitals and outside the school, anxiously awaiting news. A notice board at the command post listed 65 missing students, mostly boys aged 12 to 17. Distraught parents pleaded with rescuers for updates.
Heavy concrete slabs and unstable debris slowed the operation. Though heavy machinery was on site, it was not being used to avoid triggering further collapse.
“We are keeping those still alive under the rubble supplied with oxygen and water as we work to get them out,” said Nanang Sigit, who is leading the rescue.
Authorities said the collapse occurred in a prayer hall that was undergoing an illegal expansion. Two additional concrete floors were being added without a permit, overwhelming the old foundation.
One 13-year-old boy was killed and 99 students were injured, some critically. Female students, who had been praying in another section of the building, managed to escape.
